


midnight street magic

by xxcaribbean



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 07:44:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17935685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxcaribbean/pseuds/xxcaribbean
Summary: a random collection of drabbles that feature completely unrelated characters, but might just work well together in an au of their own. or, the one where billy and klaus are friends.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> based on this lovely [text post](http://pizzacast.tumblr.com/post/183012652950/why-do-i-feel-like-writing-a-fic-where-billy-meets).

klaus is so loose, it’s difficult for billy to believe that anyone could be that careless, that aloof. but it makes sense because klaus grew up like billy, only he had siblings to lean on. hell, he had ben for the better part of a decade or two, and billy had no one. no one to share his thoughts with, no one to tell him everything would be okay even if he knew the underlying truth of the matter.

at least klaus had that stability going for him, but billy thinks, as he sometimes watches klaus eye the bar with refined measure, that even with people around, they’re still fucked in the head, learning to navigate life for the first time without a shadowy presence holding them hostage.

it makes it easier to believe that billy has a place in this world if there are more people like him. if they exist, then he can, too, unwinding the baggage that pestered him into anger and insolence. it’s why he’s in awe of klaus’ damage, the broken parts of his brain bleeding into sticky fingers and tight smiles, the brash nature of simply not giving a fuck.

billy doesn’t want to give one either. so he learns until he doesn’t.

sometimes.

like the first time klaus meets steve, his eyebrows go up and up, head cocked, eyes bright with sobriety. “oh my,” he breathes, circling the boy with an air of delight. “you  _are_  pretty.”

“billy,” steve says in warning, unsure–this place, this home an unfamiliar territory where billy had promised them safety and understanding.

“it means he likes you,” billy says, fond annoyance lacing his tone. “klaus has no boundaries.” and he shoves the fucker from his shoulder, number four snickering as he twists away from their new guest, disappearing down the hall of their shared apartment. “he doesn’t give a shit, baby.”

steve is hesitant as anyone would be, out in the open, out in new territory, meeting the one friend billy had stumbled upon as soon as he’d left hawkins. billy hadn’t expected jealousy from steve, and he’d been right when he’d found none, but he hadn’t prepared for the distorted tilt he’d felt when two parts of his life gradually fused together.

it’d been a long time coming, and billy’s only thankful it’s finally here.

“c’mon,” he says, taking steve’s hand, leading him down the hall to his room. it’s off to the far right, just before the living room, and as he welcomes steve into his new space–a feat he couldn’t do before–the tight hold on his lungs gives way, frees the space in his chest for easy breathing.

billy intends to shut the door, and as he nudges the corner of the wood with his socked toe, klaus’ voice, high-pitched and muffled over the sound of the tv, much like a dedicated mother protecting their young, leaves billy grinning.

“no funny business!” he says. “don’t corrupt him, billy. steve’s a good boy.”

billy’s shoulders shake with quiet laughter, finding steve siting on the edge of his bed with a grin of his own. “he always like that?”

“yes,” billy confirms, nudging steve over until they’re both lying back on his bed. “unfortunately.”

steve’s grin widens, petting away the curls that fall gently over billy’s eyes. “he’s good for you, i can tell.”

to that, billy doesn’t know exactly what to say. the flavor of friendship has never been a token awarded to him in all the years he’s lived, but he lets steve’s words sink in and realizes that maybe there are more parts of himself he’d been missing than he realized. that the doors he’s opened only reveal more to unlock, a maze of uncertainty with hardly any understanding.

it makes him uncomfortable to know the layers he’s peeled back have no end in sight, but as steve’s fingers curl under his jaw, billy thinks it’s very good he’s not alone.

“yeah,” he says, softly. “and i might be good for him, too.”

steve kisses billy then, with careful precision, with approval, with subtle love that billy acknowledges for the first time in forever.

it’s a good feeling. billy’s new life is a very good feeling.


	2. Chapter 2

“she says steve’s a lovely man, by the way.”

billy pauses, hamburger in hand, the anticipation of that juicy first bite rapidly dwindling. “the fuck do you mean?”

klaus stuffs several fries into his mouth, talks around them like a true gentleman. “your mother. she’s a joy to be around.”

“don’t be an asshole,” billy says, stretching his leg just enough that the toe of his boot more than nudges a shin. “or sarcastic.”

klaus squeaks, looks away from billy over to the empty corner of the table that’s occupied by air.

or something else.

billy follows his gaze and sighs. “she’s here again, isn’t she?”

“yes, and she agrees with me that you have no manners.”

“funny. the two of you,” he starts, swinging a finger between klaus and well, an empty space, “have no room to judge. talking about me behind my back is a dick move, klaus.”

finally,  _finally_  he takes a bite of the burger he’s been craving all day now. long hours at the construction site afford little time for such pleasantries, but klaus had insisted just as much as billy’s stomach.

“anita,” klaus says once he’s unraveled his tongue from the plastic straw in his cup, “i have to say your son is quite humble and unwilling to take a compliment on behalf of his boyfriend, and that is clearly no fault of your own.”

klaus’ hand snakes across the table, resting on what billy presumes is his mother’s hand. shit like this is still weird to him, the fact that his friend can see people he can’t, and sometimes billy does question whether klaus is telling the truth, but it’s comforting nonetheless knowing a part of billy hasn’t entirely abandoned him.

“but he’s also stubborn as hell, and i take great pity on us all for that.”

rolling his eyes, billy continues to eat, ignoring the quick, shifty glances the waitress throws their way. klaus is a nut to most people, but billy smiles around a bite, and all is well again.

“this is the equivalent of her showing you my baby pictures,” he says eventually, wiping his fingers on a napkin because unlike klaus, billy doesn’t do destructive uncleanliness.

klaus grins, smug. “and there’s nothing you can do about it.”


End file.
